The Angst in the Agent
by Bonesafile
Summary: Booth can't forget the car scene in the Doctor in the Photo. Will he do anything about it?
1. Chapter 1

AN: This is just a short story to capture my thoughts about what wasn't said in the most recent episode - The Doctor in the Photo. As always, I don't own any of the characters. Spoilers for Season 6, especially The Doctor in the Photo. I have rated this M based on where I think it is going, but it may not get there...

Chapter 1: Methinks He Doth Protest Too Much

"I'm with someone."

"Hannah, she's not a consolation prize."

As he drove back to his apartment after dropping Bones off, those words went around and around in Booth's head. He meant them, dammit. What could she have expected him to say? He slammed the steering wheel with his palm.

Although he'd known Bones had been going through a tough time with this case – he'd followed her tonight out of growing concern for her safety – her story about the pilot and then her statement about wanting to have no regrets, had hit him hard. Blindsided, he'd stated the obvious. He had a girlfriend now. Bones knew that. If she'd been her usual restrained self, she'd have kept her regrets to herself.

Instead, she'd cried.

Bones had cried over him and their missed chance. Booth took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. He'd moved on, so why did remembering that scene in the car cause him such pain.

What would happen now?

She'd adjust.

He'd told her that he had.

He'd adjusted well.

Hadn't he?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Running Away

It was late when Booth got home. Hannah was in bed already, but not sleeping. She looked up from her book when he came into the room.

"Everything alright?"

Booth sat on the edge of the other side of the bed, his back to Hannah. He took off his shoes as he talked. Typical nighttime routine.

"I think it is now. Or at least, it will be." Shoes on the floor, he suddenly didn't have the energy to do more. He shifted onto the bed and leaned back against the headboard, hands behind his head.

Hannah silently waited for him to elaborate.

"Bones had a tough time with this case, as you know. Sweets said that she over identified with the victim. Well, tonight she figured out where the victim likely died, so she headed over there alone to see if she could figure out the why and how of it. Back to that dangerous neighborhood." He stopping speaking and shook his head in disapproval.

"I'd had a bad feeling all day, so I went over to the Jeffersonian when I left the FBI tonight. As I pulled up to the building, I saw Bones get into a cab, so I followed her. It was pouring and I couldn't see her very well in the dark once she got out of the cab, so I parked and started in the direction where I last saw her." He paused and took a breath. "When I spotted her, she was kneeling in the street looking at something and this car…this car came around the corner, heading straight at her." He remembered the panic he'd felt at that moment.

"I dashed out and pulled her to the side of the road. The car just missed her…us."

"Thank goodness you were there!" Hannah exclaimed.

"Yeah." He stopped talking and closed his eyes.

"Seeley?"

"Um?" He murmured, feeling exhausted almost beyond words.

"What happened with Temperance?"

Booth remained silent. Did Hannah somehow sense that there was unfinished business between them that he hadn't told her about?

"Is the case over? Did Temperance figure out what happened?"

Relieved, Booth opened his eyes and looked straight at Hannah for the first time. "She thinks the doctor was walking across that same street and got hit by a car. The reflector on the ground that Bones was examining when she almost got hit apparently matches debris found in the wound. Not a murder after all. So, case closed. Which is a good thing, in my opinion. Shouldn't be too long before Bones is back to her old self." Bones would do that, he knew. She'd perfected the art of shutting out bad thoughts and uncomfortable emotions. Unfortunately, he didn't share that skill.

"So, everything is okay with her now?"

Booth chewed his lip for a second, both unable and unwilling to answer that question.

"Hey," he said, forcing his most charming smile and sitting up with a sudden burst of nervous energy. "How about if we go away this weekend? Just the two of us? I'll find an inn in the country. Someplace romantic….." He tilted his head in a posture that always made female hearts melt. Well, most female hearts. Bones never really fell for it.

Hannah smiled. "I do like your enthusiasm but didn't you tell me you'd be working a lot this weekend? I actually scheduled a few interviews because I thought you'd be busy."

"Can you change them? With the case over, my time has been freed up. I really could use the break." He knew he sounded pushy, but now that he thought of the idea, he fixated on it as the answer to all his problems. He'd go away for a few days, spend the whole time being with Hannah, thinking about Hannah. He'd give Bones the space she needed to have her world realign. By Monday, all would be as it had been.

They'd be "just partners" once again, exactly what he wanted.

Yes, he told himself again, a bit more emphatically, exactly what he wanted.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: What did you say?

"Okay, Temperance, what did you say to him this time?"

Hannah plopped down at the diner table next to Angela and across from Brennan. She put her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her palms. The expression on her face was of curious amusement.

"I don't know what you mean," Brennan said, eyebrows drawn in puzzlement.

"Seeley – he's been acting odd for the past two weeks. It's starting to creep me out, actually. If it were anyone else, I'd think he was feeling guilty about having an affair or something."

"Booth?" Angela exclaimed. "Never!"

Hannah shook her head. "No, of course not. But he's been overcompensating for something and I want to know what. The weekend away, fancy dinners at home, little gifts….."

"Sounds good to me," Angela said.

"Why would you think I'd know what's going on?" Brennan asked, her mind racing. With great effort, she'd pushed the conversation she'd had with Booth in the car two weeks ago into the far reaches of her mind. She'd assumed he'd done the same because they'd resumed their working relationship without missing a step.

Of course, they weren't back to the easygoing camaraderie they'd shared before he'd made his failed attempt to change the ground rules of their relationship, but she'd thought they'd at least made it almost back to the productive working rapport they'd had since they'd both returned from their travels. They didn't associate much outside of work, as they had in the old days, but their interactions were civil and very productive. She really couldn't ask for more than that given all that had passed between them. They'd both adjusted – or so she'd thought.

The waitress came by and asked Hannah if she wanted to order, giving Bones a moment to compose herself.

"Well," Hannah picked up the thread when the waitress left to get her coffee. Relaxed, she leaned back in her chair. "Do you remember a month or so ago when you told Seeley that you thought I might be bored in my home life, or something like that?"

"You didn't!" Angela laughed and slapped the table.

"Yes she did," Hannah responded, joining in the laughter. "That night, he made such a fuss, special dinner, candles and all. I thought he was going to propose or something. It scared me to death."

"I'll bet," Angela said, still very amused.

"So," Hannah continued, turning back to face Brennan, "I figured you may have inadvertently said or done something that caused Seeley to have even more insecurity than the last time. If I knew what it was, maybe I could reassure him and get things back to normal."

"It was about sex, wasn't it, Brennan?" Angela smiled conspiratorially at Hannah. "Nothing makes Booth more uptight than when Brennan talks about sex. Did you question his manhood or something?"

Conversation ceased as Angela and Hannah stared expectantly at Brennan. Clearly they were waiting for a juicy tidbit about which they could mercilessly tease Booth.

Unsmiling, Brennan looked back and forth from one woman to the other.

"No, we didn't talk about sex. Excuse me."

With that, she unceremoniously picked up her shoulder bag and walked out of the restaurant, leaving Hannah and Angela gaping after her.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Angst in the Agent

She didn't know where she was going until she found herself outside of Booth's office. The conversation with Hannah had shown Bones that something was still off in her relationship with Booth and it was affecting more than just the two of them. If Hannah was right and Booth's odd behavior had begun two weeks ago, then certainly it was her fault. She'd broken something with her impromptu confession, so she needed to fix it.

Resolved, she strode into Booth's office.

"Bones!" Booth exclaimed, looking up from the document on his desk that he was reading. "Do we have a case? What are you doing here?"

Normally, Brennan wouldn't notice the emotion behind his words, but as a result of her newfound awareness that there was a problem, she thought perhaps she heard an edge of discomfort in his voice. It suddenly occurred to her that she and Booth had not been alone together for two weeks. Cam had been with them at the crime scenes and Booth had come up with excuses for bringing one of the squints with them on their other excursions out of the office.

"No, no case. I just had a conversation with Hannah about you Booth. I think we need to talk." She sat down in the chair across from his desk.

"What?" His voice sounded more high-pitched than usual. "Why were you talking to…." He paused. Brennan could almost see the wheels churning in his brain. "Oh, sure, but…" He stood up and made a show of gathering up papers. "I have a meeting in a few minutes. So, maybe later at the Jeffersonian….." He moved briskly and started towards the door.

Quick as lightening, Brennan jumped up and blocked his path, stopping him just as he rounded his desk.

"Booth. We need to talk about this. I realize now that you've been jumpy and uncomfortable around me since my outburst two weeks ago in the car. Hannah says that you've been oversolicitous towards her, as if you were guilty about something. What is going on Booth? " She put a hand out to touch his arm, but he took a quick step back, just out of reach. He banged his legs against the desk and abruptly sat down on the edge.

"You know I'm not good at perceiving feelings. So, if I can tell that things aren't right, we must really have a problem." She smiled awkwardly. "If you'd just let me know what I'm doing that makes you so uncomfortable. We need to be able to work together. That's very important to me." Her voice rose in volume. "Tell me what I'm doing wrong so that I can fix it." Unbidden, her eyes flooded with tears. The fact that things had not worked out between them personally made her very sad. She'd do anything to make sure that their working relationship remained in tact. Without work, she'd have nothing at all.

"God, Bones, nothing. You're not doing anything wrong." His hand reached out, as if of its own accord, but then dropped to his side. "It's me. It's all me." He looked at the ceiling, to the side, everywhere but at her.

She took an uncertain step forward, close enough that he had to look at her. His eyes locked on hers and Bones saw them fill with emotions that she could not understand. His right hand once again lifted towards her, but this time its journey was not thwarted. He brushed wayward hair off of her face and then cupped her cheek, using his thumb to brush away her tears. Leaning forward slowly, as if being pulled by an unseen string he was powerless to resist, he brought his lips to hers.

He kissed her, gently at first but when she offered no resistance he increased the pressure of his lips, coaxing her to open her mouth to his. His arms circled her waist and pulled her close to him.

After a few moments, he broke the kiss but did not pull away. Instead, he buried his face in her neck and murmured, his breath coming in quick gasps, "That's why I tried to stay away. Too dangerous to be around you….Ever since you told me you'd made a mistake, I've been dreaming…"

Though filled with a rush of pure joy, Bones didn't allow herself to smile. With a slow movement, she leaned back so that she could look into Booth's eyes. She saw the anguish there and immediately took a small step back so that their bodies were no longer pressed together.

She understood how difficult this was for Booth. He was a good man, an honorable man. He always tried to do the right thing, even if it took a personal toll.

Booth took a deep steadying breath. "I don't think I can fight this anymore, so I've got to make everything right. I'm going to need time, Bones. Time to get everything sorted out. That is," He hesitated, suddenly uncertain. "That is….if you still think that we have a chance….a chance at a relationship."

Unable to trust her voice, Bones simply nodded. Booth smiled briefly in return and then stood up straight.

"For now though, we probably shouldn't be alone together." He scraped a hand through his hair. "Clearly, I can't be trusted."

"I trust you, Booth."

"But so does Hannah, Bones." He grimaced. "I need to make this right," he repeated. "If we are ever to have a chance together, we need to start fresh, with a clean slate. You understand that, don't you?"

She smiled. "I have a very high I.Q., Booth, of course I understand. I'll wait for as long as it takes for you to make things right with Hannah. I like her very much, you know, and I really am very sorry to cause her any pain. Rationally though, when there are three people involved in a situation like this, it is inevitable that one will get hurt."

Booth nodded sadly in acknowledgement.

In deference to Booth's desire that they not be alone together, Bones turned and headed for the door. Before exiting though, she paused in the doorway, turned and briefly flashed a provocative smile. "However, for purely selfish reasons I hope it doesn't take too long. I haven't had sexual intercourse for more than a year now….." Her voice trailed off as the glass door closed behind her.

Booth wondered if she heard his answering groan all the way down the hall.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Wait is Over

Brennan sat at her desk trying to complete a chapter of her latest book. The detective story was going fine, but the personal side had gotten bogged down. The FBI agent and the forensic anthropologist were at an impasse. They loved each other but something always seemed to get in the way of happily ever after.

_Now why do you think that is, Brennan?_

She certainly didn't need to call Angela for advice on the sex scenes as so far the protagonists had just circled each other, around and around.

Brennan sighed and closed her laptop. Despite her lack of progress, the evening had turned to night while she'd stared at the largely blank screen, and she realized she'd missed dinner.

Her mind started to drift to the many nights when Booth had shown up at her door, take-out bags in hand.

_Stop it, Brennan!_

She forced herself to move to the kitchen. Hopefully there was something in the refrigerator to eat. She'd gone shopping a few…

Ok, not a good sign that she couldn't remember her last trip to the supermarket.

A month had passed since that surreal day in Booth's office. Recently, she'd begun to wonder if she'd imagined the whole thing because nothing had changed in her life since then. She and Booth worked their cases as always and he continued to avoid spending any additional time with her or the squints, as he had since returning from Afghanistan.

She tried to be logical about something as illogical as having delusions. She reminded herself that it wouldn't be the first time that her mind had played tricks on her. She'd heard that murder victim talk to her, seen her own face in the victim's file. Why not imagine a passionate kiss with Booth, his confession that he wanted to be with her?

She closed the refrigerator door with a bang.

No, it had happened. Surely it meant something that Booth hadn't mentioned Hannah lately. And Brennan wasn't the only one who'd noticed that.

"Hey Booth, where's Hannah been lately? We haven't heard about any of her crazy reporter antics for a while and I haven't noticed her byline in the paper." Angela had asked last week when Booth made one of his rare appearances at the lab. Brennan had ducked her head to the bones she was examining, hoping to hide the fact that she was eavesdropping.

"She's on assignment out of the country. She's been traveling quite a bit lately. So, do you have an id for me?" He asked, effectively changing the subject. Angela had looked like she wanted to pry further, but Booth moved to talk to Hodgins and she didn't have a chance.

Except for rare moments of distraction like that though, she'd been generally successful at keeping her mind on business at the lab. So effective, in fact, that even curious Angela hadn't remarked on any change in her interactions with Booth. Lately, her best friend had even started making noises about fixing Brennan up on a blind date.

Not inspired by any of the food in her kitchen, Brennan roamed aimlessly into the living room. Perhaps she'd have a glass of wine and then do some work on the files she'd brought home from work.

Settling on the couch, she sipped a large glass of red wine and opened the first folder in the stack. The words swam a bit in front of her and she glanced at the wineglass. Half of its contents were gone. Bad idea to drink like that on an empty stomach. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes for a minute, unexpectedly feeling very relaxed. Or, maybe it wasn't such a bad idea after all.

Through the pleasant haze enveloping her, Brennan heard a thumping sound and then a voice calling out to her.

"Bones! Bones! Open up! I have Thai!

Great, she thought, now I really am hallucinating. I'd been thinking about Booth showing up with food and now I'm hearing him outside my door.

"Bones! Are you in there?"

Suddenly her cell phone starting ringing. Her eyes popped open and she pulled the phone out of her pocket. It was Booth.

"Brennan," she answered.

"Bones, I know you are in there. I can hear you talking on the phone from the other side of the door. Come on and open up, will you?"

She put the wine down on the coffee table and automatically walked to the door and opened it.

Booth stood there smiling that disarming smile of his and holding up two paper bags.

Crossing her arms over her chest, Bones took a step back to allow him to enter. "What are you doing here Booth?"

"Bringing you dinner obviously."

Well, if he could act as if this was an everyday occurrence rather than something that hadn't happened for more than a year, she could too. She walked to the kitchen and retrieved two plates and utensils, then gathered up her wine glass from the coffee table.

Putting the place settings down on the dining room table, she sat expectantly in one of the chairs. Booth settled down across from her and unloaded the bags.

"Spicy bean curd, your favorite," he declared with satisfaction.

She just stared at him.

He looked confused. "You still like that, don't you?"

"Yes, Booth, I still—"

"Great," he said, slopping a healthy portion of the other dish, something heaped with shrimp, onto his plate and then digging in.

The aroma of the food wafted towards Bones and her stomach growled.

"Go ahead and eat," he said, glancing up at her for only a moment before devoting his full attention back to his plate.

Bones took a small portion and began to eat, watching Booth all the while.

"What?" he said, pausing, "Do I have food on my face or something?"

She just shook her head in exasperation and directed her gaze back to her plate. She had no idea what was going on, but assumed that Booth would get to the point sooner or later.

"So," he said a few minutes later when most of his food had disappeared. "This is nice, isn't it?" He stretched his legs out in front of him and leaned back in his chair.

"Yes, it is."

His eyes gazed into hers and she saw a change come over them. They seemed to get warmer, if that were possible.

"I've missed this, missed you."

"I've been right here."

"Yeah," he said simply, staring at her for a long moment. "So, how long has it been now?"

"Since we had dinner like this?"

He laughed and shook his head. "No – do you remember what you said to me that day in my office, about….about…how long it had been since…." His face took on an unnatural red hue.

Brennan's eyes flashed as she caught on to the direction of his thoughts and she adopted a stern expression. "I'm not sure that's an appropriate topic of conversation, Booth."

He leaned forward then, suddenly very serious. "Oh yes, it is definitely a very appropriate topic of conversation."

"What happened with Hannah, Booth?"

He sighed and succinctly relayed the story. "We've agreed to go our separate ways. It wasn't painless but it went as well as could be expected. There was a lot that I never told her about my past. Finally laying it all out there helped her to realize that she didn't know me quite as well as she thought she did. That the man she loved didn't really exist."

He reached over to trace a finger down her cheek as if he just couldn't stand to not be touching her.

"Did you tell her what has been going on between us?" She whispered, slightly breathless.

Booth's eyes sparkled. "What exactly has been going on between us?"

"Ah, by that I guess you are telling me that you didn't explicitly –"

"Bones, I told Hannah that there is someone from my past that I just have not been able to get over. That I'd been thinking more and more about her and about trying again to make it work. Not sure if she assumed it was Rebecca or someone she didn't know. I don't think she suspected it was you though."

Brennan tilted her head, she felt an unaccustomed lightness of spirit. The wine, she guessed. "So, what now?"

Booth stood up and held out his hand. "Now, Dr. Brennan, the wait is over."

She put her hand in his and allowed him to draw her out of the chair. As he pulled her close though, she placed a palm on his chest. "Don't you think we should talk fir—"

He put a finger vertically across her lips. "Bones, you are a talker, but I've always been a man of action."

With that, he reached an arm down behind her knees and swung her up into his arms.

"Booth! Put me down. I can walk!" She pretended to be indignant even though it felt quite nice to be in Booth's strong arms. Except for that odd kiss a month ago, it had been a long time since he'd touched her.

He started to stride towards the bedroom, but stopped abruptly at her words. "I said, no more talking, Temperance." He tilted his head and kissed her firmly on the lips. Despite her feigned outrage, she responded immediately.

To her chagrin, he ended the kiss too soon, pulling back to look into her eyes. "Actually, there is one thing I would like to say…."

"Now who's talking too much?" She reached out to cup the back of his neck in an effort to draw his lips back to hers.

Just before his lips met hers, he murmured softly, "I love you, Temperance Brennan."

"I love you too, Seeley Booth."

After that, it was a very long time before conversation resumed.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: So, this is only my second fanfic and my daughter (who writes a lot) tells me that I should wait longer between chapters. I was going to wait on this one but today is my birthday and there is no better present than getting reviews. I know this is short but it seemed appropriate for wrapping the story up. Hope you like it!**

Chapter 6: Wow!

"Wow!" Angela exclaimed, dropping the draft of Brennan's latest book onto the desk in front of her best friend. "Wow!"

"By, 'wow!" I understand that you liked the book?" Brennan asked, uncertain. Angela smiled widely in response. "That's good. Did you mark your changes as usual?"

Angela lowered her bulky self into the chair opposite Brennan's desk.

"Changes? What changes? The sex scenes were amazing! Very creative. In fact, there are a few things I will definitely be trying in about five months. I told Jack and I think he's now marking off the days on a calendar."

Brennan laughed, embarrassed. "I guess I was just inspired, that's all."

As if on cue, Booth walked into the office, drawing the eyes of the two women.

Angela looked back and forth between Brennan's reddening cheeks and Booth's broad grin.

"Ah," she said, pushing herself up out of the chair. "I guess I should give up this chair to you Booth. I believe you have taken over my job as literary collaborator." She patted his arm playfully as she passed him. "Keep up the good work." She laughed at her own joke as she made her way down the hall.

"What was that about?" Booth asked.

Brennan just smiled. As she looked at her partner, her mind brimmed with ideas for her next novel. All she had to do now was come up with a detective story…..

THE END


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